Race relations in the U.S.A. continue to be a thorny problem. The era of blatant discrimination ended in the 1960s through the courageous actions of thousands of blacks participating in peaceful marches and sit-ins, to force Southern states to implement the Federal desegregation laws in schools and public accommodations. Down came the “whites only” notices in buses, hotels, trains , restaurants, sporting events, restrooms and on park benches that once could be found everywhere throughout the South. Gone were the restrictions that prevented blacks voting. Gone, too, were the hideous lynchings , which since the Civil War had caused the death of thousands of innocent blacks. —